George Washington: Born: February 22, 1732 in Popes Creek, Virginia Died: December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia (also where he was buried) Presidential Term: April 30, 1789- March 3, 1797 (2 terms) Vice President: John Adams Political Party: Federalist
As first President of the great nation of The United States of America George Washington was given rule over a nation with many problems. It is due to the impressive way he dealt with these problems and the precedents he set for future Presidents that he should be graded with an A.
George Washington entered his Presidency with quite a few goals. Chief among them was probably the goal of establishing the government of this new nation. He had to make sure that the Federal Government was strong enough to rule the nation successfully and yet not so strong as to cause a monarchy like the one they had just broken free of. Under the new constitution there was a larger chance for success than under the Article of Confederation which had created far too weak a government. He also had the goal of successfully dealing with foreign affairs. The French Revolution was happening in Europe and George Washington strove to keep America in a neutral state. America was still very much in the recovery process after the Revolutionary War and did not need to enter yet another one. A final goal for George Washington would be dealing with the finances of the nation. As no President had come before him, he had a very unique challenge set before him. He was forced to rely on his knowledge, as well as the knowledge of his cabinet, in all his endeavors.
George Washington did an exceptional job at completing his goals as well as possible during his terms. As America had just broken free from the rule of England, most Americans were very suspicious and leery of a strong Federal Government. Despite American's leeriness, many strongly supported and trusted Washington. It was because he knew he had the trust of Americans that he ruled the country very carefully. He knew that if the Federal Government were to try and gain more power than granted or even exercise their given power too often, the American people would quickly lose their trust in a stronger Federal Government. He had to tread very lightly. In establishing the government, Washington also had to make many appointments. He appointed the Supreme Court Justices, his own Cabinet and other leading members of the government. For much the same reasons as listed above he had to be very careful in choosing these officials. Overall, Washington did a fantastic job at establishing the Federal Government in America. Foreign Policy was arguably harder to deal with. Washington constantly worked to keep peace between America, the Indians, and other countries, who ruled parts of what is now the United States. Many Treaties were created during his Presidency. Ultimately, Washington was quite successful in matters of Foreign Policy. The final goal as mentioned above was American finances. Like Foreign Policy this was a huge problem. It was also a very tedious problem. Views varied greatly on this subject and Washington was trying hard not to disappoint a certain group of people. Eventually, Alexander Hamilton came up with a plan for America’s finances. Many American citizens were very worried and weary of the plan. Congress eventually passed a bill that was based on Hamilton’s plan. The plan was implemented in 1790 and as part of the plan the Bank of the United States was created in 1791. The plan and implementation of the bank was largely successful. The success of this plan meant the general success of Washington’s goal to stabilize the financial situation of America. Although Washington doubtlessly had other goals throughout his Presidency he was incredibly successful in accomplishing some of his most important.
As George Washington’s was the first Presidency, he had to work very closely with Congress. Much important legislation was passed during his presidency that helped shape America. George Washington almost always had the support of Congress. This early in American history, political parties didn’t play that large a role. In fact, parties could arguably be non-existent. There were those who shared the same views but didn’t necessarily group themselves together under a ‘political party.’ This fact was probably to the benefit of Washington and the 1st Congress. Together they created and passed The Judiciary Act of 1789, The Whiskey Act, The Naturalization Act of 1790, The Copyright Act of 1790, The Bill of Rights, The Fugitive Slave Act of 1792, among others. Their cooperation also led to the creation of the First Bank of the United States. Some of these Acts and accomplishments are more renowned then others. The elaboration of a few may show just how important this Congress and George Washington’s cooperation was to America. The Judiciary Act of 1789 virtually created the Judiciary Branch of the United States Government. While the constitution had allowed Congress to establish the Supreme Court, Congress extended the Judicial Branch with the creation of district and circuit courts. Many of these policies are still in use today. The Naturalization Act of 1790 dealt with the granting of national citizenship. While many changes to this original Act have been made, it still shaped the policies that are used present day. The Whiskey Act was passed in order to help national debt, and taxed whiskey. It was very unpopular and led to the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. The rebellion of Pennsylvanian farmers was quickly crushed. This appears an extremely negative part of Washington’s Presidency. In truth, though, it created the precedent that Congress’s laws could only be changed through constitutional means. It also shows that even faced with major problems, Washington was able to act calmly, and quickly solve those problems.
Many actions by Washington and his administration had very lasting positive and sometimes negative effects. The creation of the First Bank of the United States was probably the most positive action Washington and his administration took. At this point in time it was greatly needed due to the large national debt from the Revolutionary War. It also brought on the creation of a national currency. Up to this point each state had had its own currency. While this might be fine for dealings within one’s own state, it created problems when dealing between states. While this bank didn’t last forever it still solved a few of America’s very early problems. Not all actions of Washington had a positive effect. Probably the most negative (at least at the time) was the Whiskey Act. While it was meant to help national debt by taxing whiskey, it enraged certain groups of people. Some farmers in western Pennsylvania were particularly angered and rebelled. Although the rebellion was quickly crushed it created a sense of unease between some Americans and George Washington.
Nearly every action of Washington and his administration had a very lasting effect on America. This can simply be attributed to the fact that Washington’s administration was first, and since then other administrations have looked toward his for an example. Yet some actions had more lasting effects than others. One action that had a particularly long effect was the First Bank of the United States. As previously mentioned it didn’t last long but what it accomplished while it was established greatly affected those in future generations. Whether it was the huge shrinkage in national debt or the creation of a national currency, this was and remains a very important and lasting action of the Washington administration.
Quite obviously, George Washington’s Presidency was a success and precedent for all presidencies that followed it. If it wasn’t for the amazing example set by Washington in his ruling of America, Presidents today might still be trying to solve problems he was able to take care of in his short reign. To conclude, The United States of America was much better off due to George Washington. Without him, the United States may not be the superpower they are today, or be one of the wealthiest nations in the world. In essence, America would simply be different, and probably not for the better
Bibliography:
Born: February 22, 1732 in Popes Creek, Virginia
Died: December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia (also where he was buried)
Presidential Term: April 30, 1789- March 3, 1797 (2 terms)
Vice President: John Adams
Political Party: Federalist
As first President of the great nation of The United States of America George Washington was given rule over a nation with many problems. It is due to the impressive way he dealt with these problems and the precedents he set for future Presidents that he should be graded with an A.
George Washington entered his Presidency with quite a few goals. Chief among them was probably the goal of establishing the government of this new nation. He had to make sure that the Federal Government was strong enough to rule the nation successfully and yet not so strong as to cause a monarchy like the one they had just broken free of. Under the new constitution there was a larger chance for success than under the Article of Confederation which had created far too weak a government. He also had the goal of successfully dealing with foreign affairs. The French Revolution was happening in Europe and George Washington strove to keep America in a neutral state. America was still very much in the recovery process after the Revolutionary War and did not need to enter yet another one. A final goal for George Washington would be dealing with the finances of the nation. As no President had come before him, he had a very unique challenge set before him. He was forced to rely on his knowledge, as well as the knowledge of his cabinet, in all his endeavors.
George Washington did an exceptional job at completing his goals as well as possible during his terms. As America had just broken free from the rule of England, most Americans were very suspicious and leery of a strong Federal Government. Despite American's leeriness, many strongly supported and trusted Washington. It was because he knew he had the trust of Americans that he ruled the country very carefully. He knew that if the Federal Government were to try and gain more power than granted or even exercise their given power too often, the American people would quickly lose their trust in a stronger Federal Government. He had to tread very lightly. In establishing the government, Washington also had to make many appointments. He appointed the Supreme Court Justices, his own Cabinet and other leading members of the government. For much the same reasons as listed above he had to be very careful in choosing these officials. Overall, Washington did a fantastic job at establishing the Federal Government in America. Foreign Policy was arguably harder to deal with. Washington constantly worked to keep peace between America, the Indians, and other countries, who ruled parts of what is now the United States. Many Treaties were created during his Presidency. Ultimately, Washington was quite successful in matters of Foreign Policy. The final goal as mentioned above was American finances. Like Foreign Policy this was a huge problem. It was also a very tedious problem. Views varied greatly on this subject and Washington was trying hard not to disappoint a certain group of people. Eventually, Alexander Hamilton came up with a plan for America’s finances. Many American citizens were very worried and weary of the plan. Congress eventually passed a bill that was based on Hamilton’s plan. The plan was implemented in 1790 and as part of the plan the Bank of the United States was created in 1791. The plan and implementation of the bank was largely successful. The success of this plan meant the general success of Washington’s goal to stabilize the financial situation of America. Although Washington doubtlessly had other goals throughout his Presidency he was incredibly successful in accomplishing some of his most important.
As George Washington’s was the first Presidency, he had to work very closely with Congress. Much important legislation was passed during his presidency that helped shape America. George Washington almost always had the support of Congress. This early in American history, political parties didn’t play that large a role. In fact, parties could arguably be non-existent. There were those who shared the same views but didn’t necessarily group themselves together under a ‘political party.’ This fact was probably to the benefit of Washington and the 1st Congress. Together they created and passed The Judiciary Act of 1789, The Whiskey Act, The Naturalization Act of 1790, The Copyright Act of 1790, The Bill of Rights, The Fugitive Slave Act of 1792, among others. Their cooperation also led to the creation of the First Bank of the United States. Some of these Acts and accomplishments are more renowned then others. The elaboration of a few may show just how important this Congress and George Washington’s cooperation was to America. The Judiciary Act of 1789 virtually created the Judiciary Branch of the United States Government. While the constitution had allowed Congress to establish the Supreme Court, Congress extended the Judicial Branch with the creation of district and circuit courts. Many of these policies are still in use today. The Naturalization Act of 1790 dealt with the granting of national citizenship. While many changes to this original Act have been made, it still shaped the policies that are used present day. The Whiskey Act was passed in order to help national debt, and taxed whiskey. It was very unpopular and led to the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. The rebellion of Pennsylvanian farmers was quickly crushed. This appears an extremely negative part of Washington’s Presidency. In truth, though, it created the precedent that Congress’s laws could only be changed through constitutional means. It also shows that even faced with major problems, Washington was able to act calmly, and quickly solve those problems.
Many actions by Washington and his administration had very lasting positive and sometimes negative effects. The creation of the First Bank of the United States was probably the most positive action Washington and his administration took. At this point in time it was greatly needed due to the large national debt from the Revolutionary War. It also brought on the creation of a national currency. Up to this point each state had had its own currency. While this might be fine for dealings within one’s own state, it created problems when dealing between states. While this bank didn’t last forever it still solved a few of America’s very early problems. Not all actions of Washington had a positive effect. Probably the most negative (at least at the time) was the Whiskey Act. While it was meant to help national debt by taxing whiskey, it enraged certain groups of people. Some farmers in western Pennsylvania were particularly angered and rebelled. Although the rebellion was quickly crushed it created a sense of unease between some Americans and George Washington.
Nearly every action of Washington and his administration had a very lasting effect on America. This can simply be attributed to the fact that Washington’s administration was first, and since then other administrations have looked toward his for an example. Yet some actions had more lasting effects than others. One action that had a particularly long effect was the First Bank of the United States. As previously mentioned it didn’t last long but what it accomplished while it was established greatly affected those in future generations. Whether it was the huge shrinkage in national debt or the creation of a national currency, this was and remains a very important and lasting action of the Washington administration.
Quite obviously, George Washington’s Presidency was a success and precedent for all presidencies that followed it. If it wasn’t for the amazing example set by Washington in his ruling of America, Presidents today might still be trying to solve problems he was able to take care of in his short reign. To conclude, The United States of America was much better off due to George Washington. Without him, the United States may not be the superpower they are today, or be one of the wealthiest nations in the world. In essence, America would simply be different, and probably not for the better
Bibliography:
"First Bank of the United States." ushistory.org. 2009. 2 Sep 2009
http://www.ushistory.org/tour/tour_1bank.htm.
Grizzard, Frank. "George Washington: A Biographical Companion." 253-256. 2 Sep 2009 <Grizzard,
Frank. "George Washington: A Biographical Companion." 253-256. Web.2 Sep 2009. .>.
"List of United States Federal Legislation." Wapedia. 2 Sep 2009
http://wapedia.mobi/en/List_of_United_States_federal_legislation#1st_United_States_Congress.
"George Washington." POTUS. 2 Sep 2009 <http://www.potus.com/gwashington.html>.